Frank Vandenbroucke, Belgian cyclist, dies

Frank Vandenbroucke, the Belgian cyclist, has died in Senegal, aged 34.

Frank Vandenbroucke: the 34 year-old died while on holiday in SenegalPhoto: GETTY IMAGES

By John MacLeary

8:57AM BST 13 Oct 2009

Reports in his homeland have said that Vandenbroucke died after suffering a pulmonary embolism while on holiday in the west African state, but the official cause of his death has yet to be confirmed.

His former coach, Jose De Cauwer, told Belgian newspaper De Morgen: "Frank was a super talent, yet difficult to coach. But Frank was a very good guy, someone with a good soul."

Vandenbroucke joined the professional ranks of cycling in 1993 with the Lotto team before he teamed up with Johan Museeuw, at Mapei, and later Britain’s David Millar, with Cofidis.

But he admitted to living under a "dark cloud" and attempted suicide in 2007. "I put on my world champion's jersey, I injected myself and then I went to lie on my bed and I waited to die," he explained later. "I was so happy. No more worries at last. Deliverance at last. It was my mother who found me later that day."

A classics specialist, his triumphs included wins in the Paris-Brussels, Ghent-Wevelgem, Paris-Nice, Liège-Bastogne-Liège and Het Volk races as well as two stages in the Tour of Spain.

"Many people were jealous of his talent," De Cauwer added. "It is unfortunate that he would have done little with it, and now this happens, at the age of 34. This is much too young, Frank has done absolutely nothing to deserve this."

Vandenbroucke's father, Jean-Jacques, has refused to blame the sport for his son's early death.

"He left in good health, he was beaming because he had found a team for next year. So we are stunned by the news," he said. "I don't think he had problems with his sport but with his private life, where he suffered a lot."

Jean-Luc Vandenbroucke, the rider's uncle and directeur sportif at Lotto, said: "Sadly this has only partly come as a surprise, for we knew he was not doing too well. He was up and down, both in terms of his health and his morale."